With hard lyricism and simple, yet contagious production, "The Infamous Mobb Deep" is a successful continuation of "The Infamous" almost 20 years later.

Mobb Deep essentially hit the reset button on their careers after 1993’s Juvenile Hell, and their reemergence on the scene came with a vengeance. The duo introduced us to “Survival of the Fittest” in 1995, and on the track’s first verse, Prodigy set the tone: “There's a war going on outside, no man is safe from / You could run but you can't hide forever / From these, streets, that we done took / You walking with your head down scared to look / You shook, cause ain't no such things as halfway crooks.” Even though they lacked the name recognition of Nas or Notorious B.I.G., Havoc and Prodigy asserted themselves as unafraid and true to the streets. It’s why they were a force to begin with and are still holding their own nearly 20 years later.

We all know what Mobb Deep is about. But the perspective they’ve attained over the years is more apparent than ever. They’re still partial to the Gangsta Rap association, but on The Infamous Mobb Deep it’s more Frank Lucas than anything else. That is, for every line about fucking you up, there is a reference to being the bankrollers and behind-the-scenes men (“All A Dream”). Discernibly, their days as street soldiers are over.

After logging time on the apparently now defunct G-Unit roster, The Infamous Mobb Deep is the group’s first full length release since parting ways with 50 Cent. And they appear hungrier than ever. On “Dirt,” Prodigy speaks to fans and rappers alike: “I ain’t seen none of these niggas, and we out here / Wannabe celebrity thugs, a lot of mouth, yeah / Oh my god, we cannot be fucked with / Real shit look at our life, all in the public / We under the microscope, they all watching us / We have no choice but to keep it trill, they sizing us.” Killing two birds with one stone, Havoc offers a critique of current Rap trends, while also speaking on the much publicized spat he had with Prodigy in 2012. Prevailing wisdom suggests the group is tight again, with the culture of competition fostering their artistic ambition. They aren’t afraid of a challenge, much like when they went up against Tupac in 1996.

It is also worth noting the slew of guest appearances on the album. Snoop Dogg, The LOX, Bun B, Juicy J, Busta Rhymes, French Montana and Nas all supply verses, and no one disappoints. In particular, Snoop and Nas shine, sounding like their versions of old. Havoc and Prodigy are certainly elevated rapping alongside emcees of such stature, but they never waver, admirably capturing the vibe of each artist.

Production represents a return to previous trends, with contributions from Havoc, Illmind and Alchemist, among others. And everyone has their moment in the sun. Mobb Deep is using the same formula to build a song; sample-based records with crisp mastering and polishing. The themality from The Infamous carried over to this album beautifully, buoyed by a dark overtone. “Get Down” featuring Snoop Dogg bangs with hard drumlines, while “Waterboarding” is fleshed out with a unique trickling water sample. The consistency of the production certainly adds to the replay value of The Infamous Mobb Deep, and boasts top notch work from some of Hip Hop’s most notable beatsmiths.

A two-disc album, the second act of The Infamous Mobb Deep is a collection of tracks left off of The Infamous. Their hit single “Eye For An Eye” is included with a different beat—sampling Al Green’s “I Wish You Were Here”—as well as a verse from Ghostface Killah. The second disc provides a lot in the way of nostalgia, but also works well juxtaposed with the first. When Raekwon and Eminem released overdue sequels to Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… and The Marshall Mathers LP respectively, they spoke about having to return to the headspace that enabled for these original classics. Mobb Deep overachieves in this regard. With hard lyricism and simple, yet contagious production, The Infamous Mobb Deep is a successful continuation of The Infamous.

There are no fun and games here. Just business. Havoc and Prodigy are as dialed in as ever. The Infamous Mobb Deep is a return to the roots of their artistic consciousness, substantiated almost 20 years ago, and with fine precision. With an all-star cast of guest lyricists and a gang of producers, The Infamous Mobb Deep is a loud wake-up call for Hip Hop. The Rap game is survival of the fittest, and Mobb Deep still roams among the strong.

Fileted

Esdoopese

Yo first run off the top I was disappointed. But then I listened to eye for an eye and looped around off that. Shit is clever and shit is deep. Deeper than first glance would credit it. The 'remixes' are fucking d-ope and shit that's rare - even when the originals ain't the absolute classics that these are. Take this round twice and see why the gold gilted cover is 24 muthafuckin carats

Vernon

I think it's hot. I'm banging it in my car whenever I get the chance. The beats are still hot. The only knock is, while Hav is still the same (pretty good) with his bars, Prodigy has gone being a dope rapper to just above average.

Flakkoo

i tell you what i'm thinkin bout that.. see in my opinion it's like that: in the 90's prodigy was the fucking greatest nobody touched him, he destroyed every fuckin track he was on. he was like out of space =) and then after murda muzik he fall off space and stopped in the sky. that's why people think P fell the fuck off, it's like it was his own fault beein' that good in the 90's =)know what i'm tryn 2 say? but that's just my opinion =) for me PEE is one of the best emcee's ever touched a mic ! Peace

hubcapface

MC EIHT GYEEEEEEEAAH

The best album of the year goes to mobb deep so far. Damn the beats go haaaaaard , this is Mobb Deep's best album since Murda Muzik and maybe better. "All a dream and Low should be hit singles for them .

Never hate try n motivate

im a big mobb deep fan hell on earth and infamous are both classics. This album was good but I gotta say Prodigy has fell the fuck off with the lyrics he really aint trying no more he has been spitting sum seriously wack bars since HNIC 2 he pops up with the odd line here n there but he really has lost it tho

Cormega The Realness

true he definatly got his head up his ass n makes no attempt to spit some crazy shit half his bars don't even rhyme and on that new 50 cent track chase the paper 50 Styles n Kidd Kidd all ripped it prodigy near ruined it with this horrible 16 in the middle the track prolly the biggest track he been offered in years n he comes with that verse lol yea im done supportin P

Anonymous

Johnny

Before this album I only had The Infamous and Hell on Earth, and I thought they fell off since that's what so many people say. After getting into this I went and bought the rest of the albums. Every single one has great music on it; especially if you're a Havoc fan I don't see how you can possibly disagree. I fucking love Mobb Deep.

mohsen

cfobia

Anonymous

So I downloaded this album after reading this review and what the fuck are people smoking? This is a mediocre album at best. Not on the level of their first album, hell on earth, murda muzik...hiphopdx reviews are so bogus...wake up people - 90s hiphop is over. Joey badass, madlib can't even revive the shit...it was a sad album really...a realization that mobb deep are done

feahbnsd

Johnny

It's not for everyone, but let me just say that I was disappointed at first and thought it was weak. But now I LOVE it. If you only gave it a couple chances maybe it will grow on you. H and P aren't always going for the throat like they once did, but there's lots of diversity on the album, nearly every verse is memorable in its own way, and their deliveries sound great IMO.

Anonymous

Anonymous

It's funny that these guys made the album of the year, while all these young new rappers can't even make 1 good song! when these guys came up there debut is a fucking classic and 5 times better than this album! where are the new good rappers? kendrick did a good job exept for putting that drake bitch on hes album just to sell some music!

Johnny

I was disappointed at first but this album grew on me so much. Amazing. Almost every track brings something different to the table. The beats cover a wide range of moods and H and P always perfectly match their verses to the vibe of the song. This is definitely my favorite album of 2014 so far. Forget about 1995, Freddie Gibbs can't touch Havoc or Prodigy in 2014 either.

micah dancy

Anonymous

hip-hops dead

aotp has like 15 members he said nothing about best group he said best duo. now if you said apathy and celph are a better duo that would be a valid response, id say they are close both mobb deep and celph and ap are in my top 5 duos.

Anonymous

cinavenom

Eat a dick biatch!

Damn this album suprised me, I ddnt expect this, I thought it will be another weak effort n boy was I wrong. P kind of stepped up a bit (including the voice, he was loosing it) and Havoc is still good. but yeah 4/5 is acurate///// I really enjoyed it. best tracks Dirt, Murdera, timesless, check the credits, gimme all that,take you from here and say something...wats yo favorate???

Anonymous

g.d.stubbs

it's a simple thing.
you love your favorite rapper's early work because at the time they were HUNGRY, and so were you.
you'll never get as high as the first time; so don't chase that train; grown-ups switch drugs.
that said, there is some uncut raw on this joint.

John

I am probably the biggest Mobb Deep fan and I loved Albert Einstein. That was prob the best IMD affiliated project since Murda Muzik or HNIC 1. Prodigy doesn't flow the way he used to so you have to either accept his new delivery and voice or move on. He bodies some tracks and has lazy bars on others. AE was a classic because P rode that classic production perfectly. What made those early Mobb Deep albums classics was not just the lyrics, but the beats, and the ones on this new album just don't knock the way AE did. Black Cocaine EP was more solid overall. With that being said this project is still better than Blood Money, Amerikaz Nightmare and Infamy. Its a good, but not a great project from the Mobb. But Black Cocaine, which DX trashed was better IMO. An extended version of that would have been better than the direction they went it. I give it a 7 out of 10.

brandonjrodriquez

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Anonymous

Anonymous

Album is dope. Previewed it when the did the Pandora Preview thing. That Mobb feel the whole way. The game needs a little of everything. Too much corny soft sh*t makes the game wack... Too much Gangster and grimey raps makes the pussies uncomfortable. There got to be a balance. It's slowing get back to real rap though.

Anonymous

Keep sucking OUR culture from over seas clown. You're a clone. You got some nerve trying to tell us about our culture and legends in the game! SMH! That is why Hip Hop is fucked up right now... You corny ass fans!

Anonymous

Funny how clowns from other countries try to tell Americans how our music is supposed to sounds. Its bad when the suburbs try to tell the streets how hip hop is supposed to sound but its either worst when dudes from the next country has n opinion. This Rap shit started in the streets niggas.

Anonymous

Check the tecnnique

Now adays artist don't make albums like this especially when it comes to production and versatility on track content these brothers have matured and dropped a solid album. Alot of cats from the 90's been dropping fire in the last couple of years

Anonymous

What makes the mobb the best group ever(Outlast the other but they ain't my style)Is they stick to their formula. Only album that was wack from them is Blood Money.The original Infamous might be the best hip-hop ever. Better than Illmatic(That's another topic)
On the current album Prodigy shows that energy he showed on his Albert Einstein album. You have to dig deep into the shit P be saying. He always give u that whoa factor. P is mad random. Havoc usually holds his own but P allways outshine him. This time around Hav really holds his especially on Dirt.
Productions is great best I heard in years and every song is fire. They concepts is on point. First Infamous was about the streets. This album is them coming from the streets and their success now. Timeless is the best song I heard since probably since Money Tree.
Perfect 5

Anonymous

America's Nightmare was my shit you bugging. Lil Jon song was wack everything else was banging. Blood Money was wack cause of the party songs they attempted. Infamy I played just as much as I played Blueprint and Stillmatic which all 3,albums came out sametime.

Anonymous

I think your right, this album is the best album they have created since Murda Muzik...Infamy was average but America's Nightmare and Blood Money were horrifc. But this album is a banger and I have blasting in my car since I bought it the second day it came out. 4.5 out of 5. I am suprised they brought the goods.

Bo

CLaSsIc! Come on hiphopdx = 5 Stars is the only worthy rating for this album! And you know or will know that in due time. Finally the actual return of real hip hop.. As if we were back in the golden age of NYC Rap.
nobody makes em likes this anymore... Utterly amazing that P and Hav were able and willing to create such an uncompromisingly raw and uncut RAP album in this day and age of endless garbage hip-pop !
Replay after replay and it gets better and better = just like back in the 1990s
If ur in the same age group as these 2 MCs = You won't even want to listen to any of the cats that came out after them. This is what we been waiting for since 1999.
1 hell on earth
2 the infamous
3 murda Muzik
4 The infamous mobb deep
5 Amerikaz Nightmare
6 Infamy
7 blood money

Jha

Big Barrio18, E'z up!

1. The Infamous (1995)
2. Hell On Earth (1996)
3. Murda Muzik (1999)
4. The Infamous Mobb Deep (2014) *Disc 2 only*
The rest of those albums aren't worth mentioning and if you owned the discs they can be used as drink coasters.

disagree

My only thing is I actually put Hell on Earth before The Infamous, but those two albums are basically perfect so who cares. I consider Hell on Earth and The Infamous to be top 5 all time along with probably OB4CL, Liquid Swords, and Yeezus.

Anonymous

Jay Z

I don't care if you Mobb Deep, I hold triggers to crews
You little FUCK, I've got money stacks bigger than you
When I was pushin weight, back in eighty-eight
you was a ballerina I got your pictures I seen ya
Then you dropped "Shook Ones," switch your demeanor
Well - we don't believe you, you need more people
Roc-A-Fella, students of the game, we passed the classes
Nobody could read you dudes like we do
Don't let 'em gas you like Jigga is ass and won't clap you
Trust me on this one - I'll detach you
Mind from spirit, body from soul
They'll have to hold a mass, put your body in a hole
No, you're not on my level get your brakes tweaked
I sold what ya whole album sold in my first week
You guys don't want it with Hov'
Ask Nas, he don't want it with Hov', nooooo!

Anonymous

YES

Solid album. Real hip-hop for any of those who ever question 'what is real hiphop'
No singin rappers, and no singers tryin 2 rap
straight hiphop/story telling/flexing/fierce & ferocious rap with solid production. play 1 of these tracks on the radio, watch the genre of music artists put out change up real quick

Anonymous

dtrn7

The album is weak as hell and comes no where close to the classic infamous album..... The second disk is dope but that is when Mobb was in their prime....The productions and guest appearances are terrible..... My dudes fell off really bad.

Anonymous

dtrn7

I was into Mobb Deep, trust me this album sux, beats are terrible and look at the guest on it ?? This is far from hip hop.... Disk 2 is live as hell this but the new shit is weak, mobb deep had 3 classic albums in a row, the rest are suspect.... All yall stans afraid to call your artist out for weak shit.. This shit is a 2.5 ... Stop dick riding and ask more from your artist... The best album this yr is Mindsone w/Kev Brown or String Theory- Hex one or The science of sound- Frankenstein...The real shit !!!!!

Anonymous

NYC RAP IS DEAD

These Mobb Deep niggas are now make since 95 the same album after the same album. Its sounds if they have no inspiration telling only lies about how tough they are. And the gritty sound gets boring after a while.

Johnny

Same album...what the hell are you talking about? Beats sound nothing like the old school Mobb Deep. Both Prodigy and Havoc have switched up their delivery since then also. The "gritty sound" gets boring after a while...that's good because there are only a few gritty tracks here (mostly illmind's tracks). Are Low and Timeless gritty to you? Legendary is a straight up happy sounding track. The beats on this album have a ton of variety.